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Giorgio Beverly Hills perfumes and colognes

Giorgio Beverly Hills is an American brand founded by Fred and Gayle Hayman in 1961. Named after the luxury boutique whose sunny yellow and white striped awning inspired the perfume's packaging, the fragrance of the same name would go on to become one of the most iconic fragrances of the 1980s.

Fred Hayman was raised in New York City, Zurich and Paris. Originally a hotelier by trade, Hayman relocated to California and opened a ritzy and eclectic boutique. His goal was to put Beverly Hills and specifically Rodeo Drive on the map as a world-class luxury shopping and lifestyle destination. Located at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Dayton way, Giorgio Beverly Hills offered a large selection of designer clothes, many of which were exclusive to the boutique. The shop was known for its club-like atmosphere and unusual decor, and it also featured a reading room, a billiards room and a full oak bar. Celebrities and wealthy Californians both shopped and hung out at the trendy location whose entrance was capped by a distinctive yellow and white striped awning.

The Giorgio Beverly Hills fragrance was launched in 1981 by Fred Hayman and then-wife Gale Hayman with a fanfare normally reserved for a major perfume house launch, and never before seen for an independent boutique brand. Love it or hate it, the fragrance captured the public's imagination in the 1980s, and was perfectly suited to the era's glamorous and over-the-top fashions. Giorgio Beverly Hills was one of the first scents to be marketed via the new technology of scent strips, which enabled sales by direct mail.

In 1987, the Giorgio Beverly Hills fragrance was sold to Avon for an astounding $165 million, and the boutique subsequently changed its name to Fred Hayman Beverly Hills.

Additional fragrances were produced under the Giorgio Beverly Hills label, but the original fragrance, with its intense floral notes, remains the most popular. Still in production today, the scent recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. The license-holder for Giorgio Beverly Hills fragrances today is Elizabeth Arden.